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Alabama's Kalen DeBoer is the best coach in college football

He won at Sioux Falls. He won at Fresno State. He won at Washington. Now, Kalen DeBoer is winning at none other than Alabama.

By Jake Mitchell

Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer watches warm ups on the field before a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images
Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer watches warm ups on the field before a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images / William McLelland-Imagn Images
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After Alabama's 41-34 win over Georgia, let's go ahead and say it: Kalen DeBoer is the best coach in college football. Sure, it's the kind of statement that seems reactionary, especially after an instant classic like we saw Saturday night, but this is backed up by numbers.

With a track record like that, DeBoer has a strong claim to the title of "best coach in the sport". He certainly holds the advantage over Lanning and Sarkisian, two coaches who also have yet to win a national title a season ago. DeBoer outcoached Lanning in two games in 2023 and beat Sarkisian in the CFP semifinal.

Entering 2024, the throne atop the sport was officially vacant. Nick Saban retired and Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL after winning the national championship. The best to ever do it and the best currently doing it were gone.

Saturday's game between Alabama and Georgia was the first real battle for the throne, and DeBoer won.

There will be those who counter with Kirby Smart's two championship rings. Obviously. his success can't be denied, but DeBoer is on pace for an identical level of success. Through two seasons at Georgia, Smart won 21 games and had played in, and lost a national title game. In two seasons at Washington, DeBoer won 25 games and had also played in, and lost a title game.

Smart didn't win a title until his sixth season. DeBoer looks like he may get there in year three or four as a power conference coach.

Of course, if these two teams meet again in the SEC Championship, or in a playoff game, and Georgia is victorious, the throne goes back to Smart. It's also possible that Sarkisian or Lanning, or even Ryan Day, win a national championship themselves and stake their claim to the title of "best coach in the sport".

Right now, though, there's a clear top dog. Until someone beats him, Kalen DeBoer is the best coach in college football.

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